Dance with the Devil
by LightandDarkHeart
Summary: A strange little girl and "Project EVE". Thia Fisher gets introduced to the hi-octane world of Devil Hunting after she and her daughter are attacked by monsters. With demons after her and her child, only one Devil Hunting agency can help her get to the bottom of it. But the sudden reappearance of one devil throws everything into a tailspin. Rate T, just to be safe. Full sum inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there. LightandDarkHeart here with my first Devil May Cry fanfic. I just got into this series and its got me by the claws, so I figured why not make a fanfic or my own for it?**

**_Summary: A mysterious little girl and the strange experiment called "Project EVE". It's been over a year since the events in the city of Fortuna, and things have been business as usual. But for Cynthia "Thia" Fisher, life is going to be anything but. A sudden attack throws Thia and her daughter head first into the world of Devil Hunting when the monsters mark Lacie Fisher as a target. Luckily, there's one infamous group of Devil Hunters willing to lend a hand (and a cache of bullets) to the pair. With the help of the Devil May Cry Agency, Thia plans to get to the bottom of this mystery and keep her daughter safe. But the sudden reappearance of one devil will throw everything for a loop. Lacie Fisher doesn't remember anything before she was found by her Thia. Does the answer to all of the recent demon attacks lay in her forgotten past? And what could it be that ties her to the Dark Knight Sparda's bloodline? VergilXOC, takes place after DMC4. Rated T for safety, may got up in the future._**

**_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Devil May Cry, or its characters. I only own this fanfiction story and its original characters. This is not done for profit, only for entertainment._**

**_Read, review, and enjoy!_**

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><p><em>Would you believe me if I told you that devils walk among us? That all those stories your parents told you were true-the monsters hiding under your bed; the things that go bump in the night. The stories your friends told you in front of a campfire under the full moon's light? All of the creatures that make you scared of the dark, or the terrors shown in the dark of a movie theater? <em>

_You'd tell me I'm crazy, right? You'd probably say I'm batshit insane, off my meds. That I need to check back into the fucking nut house or schedule a check up with my friendly neighborhood lobotomist. There's no way that could possibly be true. It's just the ravings of a mentally challenged lunatic._

_Well, I'll let you in on a little something, Jack._

_Demons, devils, monsters, whatever you call them. They're all real. ALL of them. They walk among us, bringing chaos and carnage wherever they go. They've destroyed families, leveled cities, and all sorts of other crazy shit. To tell you a secret, they've nearly wiped us all out on multiple occasions._

_One such incident occurred more than two thousand years ago. Back then, they say that while man- and demonkind were locked in a battle, one demon-the "Dark Knight" Sparda-went against his demon brethren and fought for our side. Sparda kicked all of the demons' asses and even managed to defeat the Demon King or whatever. Apparently, he was one seriously badass dude...er, demon. The Top Dog, the MVP, a demon among demons and all that crap. _

_Anyway, with their king out of commission, all of the other devils fled back to the Demon World with their collective tails between their legs. This gave Sparda the opportunity to close off the gateway between our world and theirs, the Hell Gate. Unfortunately, because Sparda was a demon too, there was one rather unfortunate drawback to this otherwise brilliant plan. Being what he was and all, his true power got stuck on the other side of the Hell Gate too. And just like that, the big baddie of the Demon World was taken down a notch...or maybe a few dozen. Honestly, a bad trade-off in my opinion, but whatever. It saved our world, so I guess I can't really complain, yeah?_

_And unfortunately, Sparda didn't stay forever. While he stuck around long enough to get himself a wife, two (soon to be demented and fucking batshit loco) kids, and a cult devoted to him, Sparda eventually disappeared. Never to be seen again. And with the Dark Knight out of the way, demons found more and more ways to come back with a vengeance, wreaking havoc on humanity. _

_Flooding out of the Demon World in a steady, man-eating stream, demons and their kin soon found that Little Man wasn't ready to lay down and die. They planned on fighting back, kicking ass, and taking names. It was survival of the fittest, and humanity wanted to come out on top of the food chain._

_Enter the Devil Hunters; the men and women who pride themselves on being able to take out any demon you can put a bounty on. Typically armed to the teeth with a trigger temper and cocky as all Hell, if you can find one, you can hire them for all of your pest control needs._

_And even without Sparda around to kick some devil ass, those carrying his blood in their veins are more than happy to keep up the family tradition. You just gotta know where to find them._

_But enough of this crappy sales pitch shit. Devil Hunting's my trade and everything, but I ain't looking for prime time airwave slots or wasting my hard earned dough on advertising this. That ain't my spiel._

_You're probably wondering how do I know all of this, right?_

_Well, I've lived it first hand. And if you willing to park your ass and sit a spell, I'll show you my fucked up world._

_Have you parked said rear end? Good. If you haven't, I don't care how fine a piece of ass you got, when I say park it, you park it, Bub. 'Cause I'm the last person you wanna defy._

_See, it all started years ago..._

…

_..._

"Thia, Thia! Let's go this way!"

A little girl giggled happily as she pulled her older companion along the busy main streets of Corvell's Plaza District, weaving through the crowds of people around them. Dressed in light purple and white, her small figure stood out even among the other bright colors worn by the shoppers filling the streets.

It was a beautiful winter afternoon. Pure white snow had been piled in heaps in the edges of sidewalks. Snowflakes fell gracefully from the heavens, dusting the tops of trees and roofs along with uncovered heads. The air was chilly, but far from biting as shoppers bundled up in warm coats and fluffy scarves strolled by brightly lit and decorated display windows. Laughter and music filled the air, along with the smell of warming spices and delectable baked goods.

Yes sir, holiday cheer ran thick through the air.

The little girl, her colorless hair and round face hidden underneath a fur-lined hood, turned this way and that in an excitable frenzy. Wide, crystal-blue eyes peered out at the festive Christmas lights as she smiled ear-to-ear, cheeks pinkened from the cold and excitement. Those blue eyes locked on a nearby window display, filled with Christmas ornaments, and grew to the size of moons. One mitten-clad hand pointed in its direction.

"Thia, aren't they pretty?"

Cynthia Fisher, known affectionately as "Thia", smiled softly and bent down next to the seven-year-old. Her dark green eyes reflected back in the glass pane from under thick black lashes and a pair of slightly arched brows. Honey-blonde locks of hair bounced in fat curls around her face as she smiled over at the child.

"They sure are, Lacie," Thia agreed, taping her finger against the giggling child's nose. "Want to go in and pick one out?"

Lacie squealed in delight and threw her arms around the older woman's neck. The two walked into the store and spent the better part of an hour browsing the gorgeous ornaments and Christmas decorations. Lacie had been particularly drawn to the pretty porcelain and lace angels set up in one corner of the store, while her companion favored the bright and colorful stockings hung up everywhere as decorations. Eventually, the two settled on their ornaments (an angel for Lacie and a violin for Thia) and went to pay for their purchases.

Walking out of the store with bags in hand, Thia reflected lightly on the events of this year.

_A lot has happened. To think it's been about a year since I started taking care of Lacie. Where does the time go?_

People often made the mistake of thinking that Thia was Lacie's nanny or something. Thia didn't blame them. The two were always together, and Lacie was very attached to her. But there was more to their relation than that. They depended on each other. They were each other's friend and family. After all, Lacie, the precocious little amnesiac, hadn't known any other.

When Lacie had first come into Thia's life a year and a half ago, she hadn't been able to remember anything, including her own name. For a long time, Thia had tried to help the girl find out where she came from. Ads posted in newspapers, hours spent trying every conceivable lead, meeting after meeting with social service officials, they tried it all. And every single time, their work came up short. No possible leads. Nothing.

It was as if Lacie had never existed. No one was looking for a child fitting her description. Nobody had ever seen her before. She had no one. Nothing.

So, rather than leaving the girl to an orphanage, Thia had taken steps to adopt her. The process went off without a hitch, and Thia was well within her means to take care of her, so it worked out pretty well. They had been a family ever since.

Now it was December and their second Christmas as a family was just around the corner. Lacie had practically been bouncing off the walls in anticipation of the holiday. She loved Christmas and the whole of the holiday season. Although, she did seem to be partial towards decorating. For example, Thia had woken up a few days ago to find their living room filled with paper snowflakes and strings of popcorn taped to every conceivable surface. The child had even cleaned out the freezer and put a snowman inside. And Thia couldn't even _think_ of last year without cracking up.

Lacie looked up at Thia, eyes wide and innocent. "Why're you laughing?"

The blonde shook her head. "Nothing, Sweetheart. Let's head home and have something warm to drink, okay?"

"Yeah!" Thia had learned early on that if there was one thing Lacie loved, it was hot chocolate with _lots _of strawberry marshmallows.

The trip back home was quick and uneventful up until the two cut through the park near Thia's street. Lacie had taken to humming her usual tune (as she in the habit of doing) while she skipped down the street in front of her. Every so often, she would stop to catch a snowflake on her tongue, or pick up something off the ground that caught her interest. Lacie was a little scatter-brained like that. Thia had noticed very early on that she moved to the beat of her own drum, never a care in the world to get her down.

Maybe it had to do with her amnesia, but every new thing or experience was looked upon with a sense of awe and wonder by the little girl. And her easy-going smile had charmed her way into many a heart before.

_Lacie is a strange one for sure_, she reflected, _but I wouldn't want her any other way._

Thia had been keeping an eye on the little girl while rubbing her hands together and mentally cursing herself for forgetting her gloves. Then, out of nowhere, Lacie stopped and cocked her head off to the side, as if she were listening to something. Without warning, she turned around and bolted down the opposite side of the street. Thia called out just as the ends of the girl's scarf flew around the corner, only for it to be drowned out by a loud, inhuman screech.

Thia's blood went cold.

"Lacie! LACIE!"

Following after the girl, Thia found herself in the middle of a battle spilling out from an alleyway. People ran away screaming as twisted monsters ran into the streets, slashing enormous and deadly claws through the air. Taller than the average man, they looked like a grotesque cross between wolf and boar, but they stood up on their hind legs as if it were nothing. Each monster donned a suit of crude metal armor with gnarled spikes branching out from the metal plates, along with vicious metal blades fixed to their claws. She could see the burning red eyes glowing from underneath dented helmets that flashed while the creatures attacked the townsfolk, mercilessly and without prejudice. The senseless violence and gore made her stomach churn as sweat broke out all over her body despite the cold air.

It was horrible. Right in front of her, the people young and old falling victim to these monsters were literally being ripped to pieces. Limbs and shreds of fabric went flying right before her eyes. People screamed in agony and terror, some screams only to be replaced by choked gurgles and then silence as life was snuffed out forever. Crimson blood splashed across the snow, tainting the pure white with macabre spectacle. The smell of carnage and gore filled her nostrils and made Thia woozy. Her stomach churned as she tried to fight the urge to vomit.

It was a living nightmare.

So when one of the creatures spotted her, Thia felt frozen in place out of pure fear. Every fiber of her being was screaming at her to run, but she couldn't get her feet to move. All she could do was watched helplessly, paralyzed, as the monster ran at her.

"Leave my Thia alone!" Without warning, Lacie jumped out a few feet in front of Thia, the ends of her long snow jacket fluttering in the wind with strands of long, pale hair. A strange, animal-like snarl escaped her lips. Light flashed briefly in one of her hands as she held a long shard of glass out, brandishing it like a weapon to the demon.

Seeing Lacie in front of her like that, facing down the monster charging at them, snapped Thia out of her paralysis. Her heart hammered inside her chest as Thia scrambled forward, reaching desperately for the little girl as the monster got closer. But Lacie was just out of reach, and when the blonde lunged forward, her foot caught against something. Thia pitched forward. A look of pure terror came over her as she slammed into the hard ground.

"LACIE!"

_BANG! BANG! BANG!_

Gunshots exploded in the air as a blur of red raced past her. Thia watched as the monster dropped like a stone, gushing thick blood from gaping holes in its head. A foul stench filled the air, and her stomach heaved. It smelled like burning flesh mixed with sulfur and copper.

"You need to get out of here." A strong pair of arms hauled Thia up off the ground and dragged her away from the streets. When she started struggling, the person threw her over his shoulder and took off running. Several more gunshots rang through the air and slowly faded as this stranger took her away from the site of the attack.

Blood roared in her ears as she tried to get her nerves back under control. She knew what those creatures were. Devils. Stories of demon attacks had reached her town more than once. The events that had happened in Fortuna had caused quite a stir for one thing. It still did, even to this day. But Thia never thought it would actually _happen_. And certainly not here. Not now.

_No! I can't leave!_

"N-No! Let me go...Lacie, where's my Lacie?!" Thia thrashed around, kicking and screaming as she tried to break free. A flap of dark fabric flew up in her face, obscuring everything from view. She had to get back. Lacie needed her!

After what seemed like an eternity, the figure finally slowed down. Fury peaking, Thia smashed her elbow into what she hoped was the guy's head. For once, her aim stayed true. Pain shot up her arm as she tumbled out of the man's grip.

"Damn, is that the thanks I get for saving your sorry ass?" Trembling with anger, Thia looked up and glared daggers at the man standing before her.

Appearing in his late teens (possibly early twenties), this man had short snowy white hair and pale skin, with light blue eyes that matched her glare with an irritated stare of his own. He wore a dark blue-and-red jacket over a brighter red hoodie and dark pants. A set of rings shone on his fingers and she could see a pair of headphones around his neck, partially hidden by the collar of his coat. A large handgun was strapped to his side, along with an enormous sword across his back.

The real eye-catcher, however, was his right arm. Unlike his left, this arm was anything but human. Covered in what looked like red scales or armor, with glowing blue energy pulsing around it and forming sharp clawed fingers. An ominous aura radiated off of it, filling Thia with unease. It was undoubtedly demonic.

The man caught her staring at his arm and rolled his eyes, a grimace forming at his features. "Take a picture. It'll last longer…"

His brusque attitude renewed Thia's anger, bringing her back onto her feet with a howl. "My little girl was back there, you bastard! She's only six; she can't protect herself! I'm going to kill you!" Thia lept forward, hands outstretched and fingers curled into makeshift claws.

"Nice try kid, but why don't you leave the devil hunting to the professionals, 'kay?"

"Okay!"

A familiar giggle halted Thia's attack dead in her tracks. Shaking, she turned to see another man, much older than the first one, walk up to them. Wearing red and black in his attire, he looked a lot like an older version of the other man. They both had the same colorless hair and light eyes. The only difference was in the shape of his face. While the younger man had boyish looks, the other was more rugged, thanks in part to the somewhat shaggy haircut and stubble on his chin. That, and he looked closer to Thia's age than the other one. He was looking to his side, where someone was sitting, perched on his shoulder.

"Lacie!"

Lacie turned and smiled, holding her hands out as she was swept up. "Thia!"

The blonde scooped the little girl into a tight embrace. Tears spilled from her eyes as all kinds of horrid scenarios flashed through her mind of what could have happened. Images of little Lacie lying dead in the snow filled her with dread.

"Baby, baby, my little Lacie," Thia cooed as she rocked back and forth. "Sweetheart, why did you do that? You scared me to death!"

"I couldn't let those mean demons hurt you, Thia!" Lacie proclaimed, shaking her fist in the air. "You're _my_ Thia, not theirs!"

The man in the red coat laughed, bending down to ruffling Lacie's hair. "She got guts for a little squirt, I'll give her that. First time I've seen a kid try and threaten some demons with a pieces of glass."

Thia stared up at the man, caught between gratitude for saving Lacie and wariness over him being a total stranger. Her grip around Lacie tightened ever so slightly.

"Who are you?"

The man blinked and shot her a lazy smirk. "What, no thank you for saving the little kid? That's just cold, coming from a hot babe like yourself."

The man in the blue coat sighed and walked up to them. "Well, it makes sense when it's directed at a pervert like you...Anyway, I'm Nero. The old geezer's Dante."

"_Dante"? "Nero"? Not much to go off of, but better than nothing, I suppose..._

"Cynthia Fisher."

"Call her Thia!" Lacie threw her arms around the blonde's neck and smiled up at their saviors. "I'm Lacie. Nice to meet you, Mr. Dante, Mr. Nero!"

Lacie giggled from under her hood as she scrambled out of Thia's arms and over to the men. Racing up to the older one, Dante, she grabbed his large gloved hand in hers and bounced on her feet. Her mouth (the only part of her face visible underneath the deep hood of her lilac snow jacket) stretched wide in a grin, revealing a mouth full of small white teeth. Lacie squealed as Dante lifted his arm up, causing her to swing lightly.

"You shoulda seen it, Thia!" she crowed exuberantly. "It was so cool! Those bad demons came out at you and I jumped out, like _Bam! _And all of a sudden, Dante was like _Bang! Bang!_ with his guns and the demons were down on the ground! It was so cool! Can I get a gun like his? Can I?"

"Lacie!" Of all the things she could have said after an experience like that! Sometimes, Thia really wondered just what exactly went on inside that little girl's head. Often times, it was hard to reconcile the sweet, innocent-looking little girl with her tomboyish, wild child personality. Lacie's moods seemed to change at the tip of a hat, and it usually made Thia's head spin trying to keep up. Not to mention the fact that she had the unique gift (or curse, depending on how you look at it) of saying the bluntest and most inappropriate things at the most inopportune times.

But while the girl's request horrified Thia, Dante seemed to be greatly amused, if his cackling laugh was anything to go by. Even Nero smirked a little at the girl's antics.

"_Sanguis Matrem_!"

A shrill, ear-rattling shriek pierced the air. Nero and Dante immediately whipped out their guns-Blue Rose, Ivory, and Ebony-and turned to face a new horde of demons that must have followed them from the previous fight. Along with the armored devils from before, a winged, bat-like species appeared in the air. Great leathery wings held their gaunt bodies aloft as the bats (which were really the size of large dogs) bared six-inch long talons and dripping fangs at them.

Dante smirked as he handed Lacie off to Thia.

"Leave this to us, Babe." The white-haired man jerked his thumb back, gesturing to the open street behind them. "You go find someplace to wait while we take out the trash."

Thia didn't need to be told twice. Picking up a squirming Lacie, she took off down the street. The sound of gunshots mingled with the screams of the demons as her feet pounded against the sidewalk. Blood roared in her ears while all she could think of was escape.

Their house was back where all the demons were, so that was out of the question. Where could she go?!

"Thia, they're chasing us!" Lacie cried out, her voice rising from excitement. "Is this some kind of new game?"

"_Sanguis Matrem_! _Sanguis Matrem_! _Sanguis Matrem_!"

The demons repeated those words like some kind of war cry as they chased the two down the streets and alleys of the city. Thia's lungs burned as she willed her legs to not give out on her. She just couldn't shake those things off their tail! It was like they were hell-bent on hunting her and Lacie. They wouldn't let up, no matter what ruse she used to try and escape the devils. Every trick she knew, every ploy she had heard of, she tried. But just when she thought she was in the clear, the monsters would show up again. It seemed like a never-ending cycle that wouldn't end well.

_What happened to taking care of them?! There seems to be even more than before!_

So much for counting on Dante and Nero. Thia yelped as one of the bats took a dive at her, the creature's claws just barely missing the edge of Lacie's hood as it screamed those strange words at them. The little girl yelled back at it, waving her fist at it as she screamed at the creature to leave them alone.

_Those things aren't going to stop chasing us_, she realized grimly. _But what can I do? I don't have any kind of weapon, not even a can of Mace. Who the Hell knows if that even works on demons anyways...God dammit!_

Thia came to a screeching halt and headed into an alleyway. It was fairly empty. No doubt everyone in the area had heard of the attack by now and were smartly hiding for their lives. There was an empty metal dumpster and some trashcans huddled in one corner, and junk lying all of the ground. Thia spotted a piece of steel pipe and snatched it up as she ran over to the dumpster. Throwing the lid back, she set Lacie down in it and replaced the lid.

"Lacie, baby, I need you to stay in here and don't make a sound," she ordered. "No matter what happens, don't. Come. Out!"

Lacie nodded as Thia whirled around, just in time to see the first wave of demons crowd into the alley. Hopefully she wasn't too rusty with her fencing techniques, because watching those devils flex their claws and hiss at her, she realized that a pipe probably wasn't going to be of any use in the hands of a five-foot-two woman. At worst, she could always try some moves from all of those action movies she was so fond of...Yeah, it sucked being her right now.

"_Sanguis Matrem_!" the demons howled. Thia felt her teeth grind.

"Go away!"

One of the bats dove for her, but Thia side stepped away from Lacie's hiding spot. The devil smashed into the side of the alley, creating a car crash-sized dent in the brick and concrete. Two more came at her side and she tried the same tactic again, only this time bashing one of the demons over the head with her pipe. A brief rush of excited flashed through her body as the bat howled in surprise. Sinking into a lunge, she jabbed at it again, this time driving the end of the pipe in one of its eyes. A gush of thick ooze exploded from the demon's eye socket. That really brought out a pain-filled screech as the bat flailed, slamming her with a wing. Thia went flying back with a yelp, crashing into the trash cans. She landed on her side hard and a distinct shattering sound filled the air. Pain flared through her leg and she looked down, spying the shards of glass buried deep in the flesh of her lower leg and thigh. Spots of crimson blood stained her jeans as the warm liquid rolled down her limb and into her sock.

Thia swore vehemently. Her pipe had gone flying when she was knocked down and now the demons surrounded her, circling like a pack of wolves. They kept shrieking at her, shouting those two words that had no meaning to her. The pain in her leg was excruciating, but Thia refused to cry out. To make any noise now would alert Lacie and the little girl would give away her hiding spot by calling out for her. She couldn't let that happen.

Lacie had to survive. Thia couldn't allow her life to be cut short after only seven years, especially since the girl couldn't remember most of it. There were so many things Thia wanted her to be able to experience. Growing up, finding friends and love. Boyfriends and a wedding. She wanted Lacie to have a life worth living, and a childhood full of happy memories, unlike her's.

"If anyone's listening," she whispered, "please, take care of my little girl…"

Deafening cries filled the air as the demons leapt at Thia. She threw her arms out in front of her prepared for whatever pain was coming to her. But it never came.

A loud, echoing howl rang out as a wave of sweltering heat exploded around her. The demons shrieked in outrage as some unseen force threw them all back. Thia was thrown back as well, this time slamming into a wall. Her head smacked painfully into the brick and she fell down to the ground in a heap. Her eyesight began to blur, but Thia was sure that she saw something glaringly bright in front of her. Smothering heat, dancing red and orange light. Fire?

A large, hulking shape materialized from the flames, black smoke curling off its body like snakes. Gleaming white fangs were bared in a feral snarl at the other demons as glowing eyes the same color as flame caused them to draw back in fear.

Exhaustion came over her as the pain and blood loss from her injury became too much to bear. Thia slumped against the ground, limbs growing numb. Vaguely, she could hear a faint tapping sound, like something walking across the ground. Was it her imagination, or was that a pair of leather boots striding past her? Thia's mind struggled to keep her body awake but darkness quickly descended on her.

But before Thia passed out, she saw a vague, lilac-colored blur and long strands of white rush up to her. And then everything went black.

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><p><strong>Well, that's it for now. Let me know what you think in the box below.<strong>

**BYE!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Welcome back to the second chapter of "Dancing with the Devil!" A big thanks to everyone who favorited and followed this story! It's very encouraging.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Devil May Cry or any of it's characters. This story was done for fun and not for profit. All rights go to their respectful owners.**

**Read, review, and enjoy!**

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><p>"When you…..gonna….up?"<p>

"...not sure...Did she...her head?"

Thia slowly drifted awake to the sound of a pair of faint, feminine voices near her. One voice sounded significantly younger than the other, but they were so faint compared to the ringing whine that filled her head. Since when did she have an alarm clock inside her skull?

_My body feels...like lead._

A dull, throbbing pain ran up and down her leg and her her head felt like it had been used as a bowling ball, but every part of her felt like it was weighed down by a bag of wet cement. All she could manage was small, quick motions. Flexing her fingertips. Wiggling her nose. Curling her toes. Small things like that. And her throat. God, did her tongue always feel like sandpaper?

A small groan must have escaped her because the voices suddenly stopped and she heard dull thuds, footsteps, coming towards her.

"Patty, go get the kid," one voice ordered. There was an affirmative and another rush of footsteps. Someone moved closer to Thia and she felt long fingers wrap around her wrist.

"Well, you've got a pulse," she heard the person say. "About damn time you came back from the dead, lady. Think you can show me those pretty little eyes of yours, and let me know you haven't gone vegetable on us?"

It took a bit of effort, but Thia eventually got her heavy lids up. Bright light assaulted her eyes and she was tempted to close them again. If not for the dark blob looming over her, she would have. And as her eyes adjusted to the light, the blob took shape into a face. A woman's face.

She was actually quite pretty, with short black hair that fanned out around around her head, and fringe feathered out over her forehead. Her skin, Thia noticed, was picture-perfect. Wait, no. There was a thin, faded scar running across the bridge of her nose. But besides that, her skin was pretty damn flawless. A pair of mismatched eyes, one blue and the other red, gazed down at her.

"Wh...Who are...you?" Thia's voice croaked as she strained to get the little sentence out. Her head was still in a fog, but she knew for sure that she had never seen this woman before. Not only that, but she had no idea where she was either. "Where are we?"

The room they were currently in was...Spartan, to say the least. Bare walls in need of a new coat of paint (and plaster in some places), a small walk-in closet with a few old coats in it. A single light bulb hung from a fixture in the cracked ceiling and the one window was covered by dusty blinds. The bed she was laying in was simple with black sheets and matching cover. There wasn't even a rug or carpet on the floor, just worn hardwood. And everything looked like it needed a good sweeping. And dusting. Thia was glad that she didn't have problems with allergies. Lord knows she's be sneezing up a lung or something in this room otherwise.

After giving her a quick once over, the woman helped Thia lean up against the bed's headboard. "This would be the part where I tell you that you've found yourself at the fabulous and famous Devil Hunting Agency known as _Devil May Cry_, but this dump is far from fabulous and is more _infamous_ than anything else. And lucky you, you're in the 'better' kept guest room. Name's Lady, by the way."

Thia dipped her head in a quick nod. Devil May Cry? What an odd name for an agency.

_Although, if this place is a Devil Hunting business, I guess it makes plenty of sense. Devil Hunters are cocky sons of bitches, aren't they?_

Thia didn't have much experience with anything occult, but she did hear rumors and stories every once in a while. Given Corvell's close proximity to Fortuna, it was to be expected. But at least that answered some questions. She was in the guest room of the _Devil May Cry_ Devil Hunting Agency with some lady named...Lady. Well, alright.

"Tell me...Lady. How did I get here?"

Lady met her suspicious stare head on, unblinking. She must be used to it. "You tell me. What do you remember?"

Thia glared at the woman for answering back with another question. That had always been one of her pet peeves. But even as her irritation levels rose, her mind began to fumble around for an answer. How did she get from Point A to Point C?

_Lacie and I were out shopping. We stopped by the ornament shop and were heading back home and then…?_

Thia pushed herself up as she reached to fill in the gaps. By doing so, the thin blanket that had been placed over her shifted down and revealed something wrapped in long strips of white cotton bandages.

Her leg. Her _entire_ leg.

The demons.

It all came back to her in a sudden flood of memories. The attack on the town. Being saved by those two men, Dante and Nero. Running off and…

"Oh god," Thia began to tremble as she remembered the demons throwing her like a rag doll in that alley. "Th-The demons, they were going to rip us to shreds and...Lacie. What happened to Lacie?!"

As if on cue, the door flew open, smashing into the wall as a bundle of purple and white sped through. Lacie jumped up onto the bed and tackled Thia, throwing her thin arms around her neck.

"Thia, you're awake!" Lacie cried out, pressing her face into the blonde's shoulder. "I'm so glad!"

Thia laughed as she held her daughter close to her. They had survived. Both of them. Thank goodness...

That thought alone was a burden lifted off of her shoulders. She and Lacie were alive and safe, she knew that. No demon in their right mind would ever come near a Devil Hunter, and if this place was an agency, it had to have plenty of them!

As she stroked and reassured Lacie, a young teen walked up to the side of the bed and stood next to Lady. Dressed in frilly, not to mention expensive, clothes, she was an adorable concoction of blonde curly hair, blue eyes, and pink.

"Lacie's been bouncing off the walls waiting for you to wake up," the girl giggled, pouting at Thia playfully. "You shouldn't have kept her waiting, you know."

Lacie pulled back and grinned at the girl. "I was not, Patty! I was too busy watching you chase Dante and Nero around with a broom."

"Well, what do you expect?" Patty retorted. "Every time I come here, the place is a mess! I should be getting paid for all the times I clean it up."

Thia watched the two banter, growing more and more confused with every second. How long had she been out? And how did they get here? There wasn't a place called _Devil May Cry _in Corvell, so they had to be in a different city. And the alley...She thought for sure they had been done for, but something happened, and she couldn't figure it out.

"Fire…"

Yes. A wall of fire and some big, hulking shape. That was the last thing she remembered before passing out. It had been so hot and so bright that she could have passed out from that alone. It had been completely unnatural, so what was it?

"If you want, we can take you downstairs." Thia looked up to see Lady standing next to her, hand outstretched. "You've got questions, right? Well, we've got some of our own. The sooner you get up and moving, the sooner we figure this all out."

Thia couldn't agree more. So with the help of Lady and Patty, she was able to hobble out of the room and make it downstairs without any further injury.

According to Lady, Thia had been found with about two wine bottles' worth of broken glass stuck all over her leg. They'd been able to remove it without extra damage, but no one had been sure if she'd suffered any serious nerve damage or not. Some of the glass shards had been buried in her calf and thigh muscles pretty deep, resulting in a line of stitches down the inside of her thigh. Thia wasn't a doctor, but as long as she could move her leg later, she'd power through the pain now. She'd been through much worse and could fully function. A leg injury was nothing.

A whistle pierced her revelries. Down below, in some sort of parlor/office, was a familiar white-haired man in a red jacket.

Dante was sitting behind a desk, feet up on top of it, and perching a magazine on his chest. Those two ridiculously large guns lay next to his feet and on either side of a bottle of whiskey. Two ice blue eyes sparkled mischieviously at her.

"Well, well. Sleeping Beauty finally awakens. I was starting to think I'd need to kiss you or something, babe." A scoff came from a different part of the room, where Nero was playing pool with a tall blonde woman.

"I'm pretty sure that an old geezer of a devil is a far cry from Prince Charming, Old Man." Nero swung his pool cue up on his shoulder and smirked at Dante, who rolled his eyes and flipped him off in return.

"Aw, shaddup, kid."

"Now, now, girls. This is hardly the time for bickering." The woman playing pool lined up her shot and sunk the seven ball in a corner pocket before coming around to the staircase.

"Thia Fisher, right?" Thia nodded, eyeing the leather-clad woman warily and earning a laugh in return. "Easy, I only bite demons. I'm Trish. I assume you've been introduced to the rest of our little group?"

Thia nodded again and Trish took over and helped her to a couch over by Dante's desk. The blondes grimaced at the sight of a cold, rubbery slice of pizza lying on the arm before Patty found it and started ripping into Dante. Thia couldn't help but stare.

Trish chuckled dryly. "That happens more often than you think. So Thia...We've heard what happened from Lacie's point of view. Can you tell us what you saw with your own eyes?"

"Oh, before you do that!" Patty turned away from Dante and fixed Thia with a wide-eyed, expectant stare. "Why does Lacie look like Dante and Nero?"

Thia blinked, staring back at the young blonde. "Huh…?"

Patty snorted and scooped Lacie up off of the ground, setting her on top of the desk. She pulled the hood down from Lacie's head with a grand flourish.

"See?" she cried. "She looks just like them!"

Thia felt her jaw drop. Patty was...right.

She hadn't noticed it earlier when she first met the two men, and up until now she hadn't even thought about it. Lacie was always in the habit of wearing hoods over her face to begin with, so Thia hadn't noticed right on the spot. But now that the hood was gone, the resemblance was shocking. Almost alarmingly so.

Lacie was like a younger, female version of Dante and Nero. They all had the same pale skin. Same nose, lips, pale blue eyes. Lacie's face was softer and rounded, but uncannily similar. Her long hair was the exact same white. And when the three stared at each other, Dante's smirk prompted a matching one from the youngest.

"So that's what you look like under that hood." Dante leaned forward and ruffled Lacie's hair, sending the waist-length strands flying all over the place. "I bet you're gonna be a real looker when you get older too."

Lacie huffed and swatted his hand away, giving the man the cold shoulder to fix her hair. "I _told _you, Patty. Thia wouldn't know because she found me and I can't remember. We looked and looked, but I'm still lost."

"Lost?" Lady looked between Lacie and Patty. "What do you mean 'lost'?"

Thia sighed, signalling to Lacie that she would take over the explanations. She told everyone how, over a year ago, she had found an injured and sick little girl hiding in her garden, wearing nothing but a tattered dress and a ripped pair of stockings. She had taken the girl to the hospital at once, and stayed the whole day and through the night until the little girl woke up, only to learn that she couldn't remember anything. The doctors called her condition "post-traumatic amnesia" brought on by a harsh blow to the head she had received from unknown means. No one had been sure if or when he memory would return, but with the help of one of the doctors (a family friend to Thia), the girl had been released to her once she had recovered from her fever. Thia explained how they tried to find Lacie's family and where she came from, and how every idea came up dry.

"Eventually, it got to the point where there was nowhere for Lacie to go," she finished up, leaning back and rubbing her sore leg. "I adopted Lace and we've been together ever since."

"Very odd, to say the least," Trish commented. "It was strange enough to see how much Nero looked like Dante, but now a small child as well. Very...curious." Thia could practically see the gears turning in the blonde's head as she seemed to mill the information over in her head. She had to agree too. It was very odd.

Lacie's looks had always struck her as a little peculiar, but for the girl's sake she hadn't commented much about it. Thia had seen pale blonde hair before, but never the kind of pure white that Lacie had. Hell, her white hair had been part of the reason they decided on "Lacie" for her name. Tt matched a few bits of the lace sewn onto the dress she had worn when they first met.

There was plenty about the child that was just plain strange. Her colorless hair and pale skin made her seem ghost-like, while her eyes belied a kind of sharpness and other worldly wisdom she'd never seen before, be it in an adult or child. She'd seen it many times, a strange glimmer of insight in the girl's eyes, here one second and gone in a flash, that occured whenever Lacie seemed unsure of a decision. She would sometimes cock her head to one side, as if some unseen voice was whispering in her ear. And more often than not, Lacie's demeanor would flip from a normal child's attitude to something altogether inhuman. A strange look would come over her, making the seven-year-old child look coldly mature way beyond her years in a way that never failed to send chills down Thia's spine.

All in all, Lacie was a very peculiar child.

"Okay, so let's go over what we know," Nero hopped up from behind the couch and sat himself down on the top of Dante's desk, snatching a piece of pizza right out of his hands. "We've got a little tyke running around, looking like the Trigger happy lunatic over there, who nobody knows where she came from. A sudden demon attack that crops up in a town that until then had no demonic activity whatsoever. The demons start chasing after our little doppelganger girl and her mother. The question is...Why?"

"That's what the Hell I want to know," Thia demanded heatedly. She and her baby girl were attacked for a reason, and when she figured out why, so help her God…

"That's because one of 'em has a hit out on her..."

Before Thia could even register the unfamiliar voice, she found herself pulled behind the couch by Trish as Patty and Lacie dove under the pool table. And the Devil Hunters? Well, they did what apparently they did best. Pull out their guns and start shooting.

She knew she should have been shocked seeing the four immediately start filling the office full of holes. Especially seeing everyone seemed armed to the teeth, what with all the guns, Dante and Nero's swords, and Lady's freakishly overkill rocket launcher. Hell, the amount of firepower in that one room should have sent her into a conniption fit. But with everything that had happened so far…Who really gives a damn?

Anyway, back to the reason everyone was getting trigger happy. The front door had suddenly fallen in on itself, prompting an angered shout from Dante. The next second, a miniature whirlwind of _fire _appeared in the doorway. Thia couldn't believe it. Sure, she'd seen that kind of thing in the movies before, but an actual flaming tornado just across the room from her? Come on!

"Oi, will you people quit shooting at me?! I don't wanna be Swiss cheese here!" As quickly as it appeared, the fiery cyclone receded. In its place, a small but _very_ peeved person. Or, not quite person…

Looking to be about nine or ten, the boy was scowling at his now bullet hole-filled clothes, giving everyone a perfect view of his abnormally long incisors and the sharp nails he used to claw at the remains of his blood-red T-shirt. He was dark-skinned, with a long scar running down face and burning orange eyes. His hair was an unruly, pitch-black mess that looked like it had been attacked by a toddler wielding a pair of safety scissors. The longest pieces trailed down to his feet, with a little tuft sticking out on either side of his head. Stranger still, patches of smoke curled around his arms and shoulders. He was steaming, literally and metaphorically.

The boy let out a feral, dog-like snarl and glared at them. "I just found this shirt, and now it's ruined! Stupid jerks!"

Thia jumped as Dante and Nero let off a pair of shots. The boy rolled down the steps, easily dodging the bullets. He came back up to his feet in one quick motion, glaring at the two Devil Hunters as if they were nothing but vermin.

"Cool your heels, Hunters," he barked. "I ain't here for either of ya!"

"Big words for the little demon that just came crashing through my front door." Dante smirked as he continued to point his guns at the boy. Thia practically jumped in her skin as he let off another round of bullets.

"Dammit, Dante!" she spit through clenched teeth. "If you're going to shoot him, shoot him!" If this kid was a demon, playing around was the last thing he should be doing.

Despite the massive amount of lead flying towards him, the boy remained unusually calm. In fact, he seemed more annoyed than anything. An irritated snort caused his nostrils to flare out as his orange eyes burned. Streams of fire deflected any bullet that got too close to the boy as he strode inside the building. He sniffed around, as if looking for something.

"Don't waste my time, Devil Hunter," he snarled, throwing his hand out. A small column of fire exploded at Dante's desk, igniting the alcohol inside of the whiskey bottle and generating a flare up. Dante jumped back.

"Why don't we play then, puppy? C'mon, I know I have a bone around here somewhere."

The boy ignored his quips and continued looking around the agency. He seemed relentless, running all over the place. Tipping filing cabinets, yanking out drawers, and throwing tables and chairs out of the way. For such a young boy, he possessed incredible strength. And the fire protecting him. Was this the power of a demon?

Finally, Thia caught his gaze settling on something in the corner of the room. The room-destroying rampage ceased as the boy tilted his head to one side. One of his ears flicked as a wide, childish smile broke out on his face. Thia could see the glint of his fangs as he raced over to the pool table as fast as his legs could carry him.

_What is he...Ah! _The demon boy was heading right for Lacie and Patty, both hiding under the pool table.

"Stay away from my little girl!" Thia jumped over the couch, wincing from the pain that shot up her leg. She felt something tear and snap. Did she rip some stitches? No, not important. Lacie and Patty. She had to get to Lacie and Patty!

Everyone moved to intercept the demon child, but he got to the girls first. But before anyone could blast him into oblivion, the boy came skidding to a stop. He gave an almost childlike yip.

"I finally found you, Master!"

The room stilled. Guns clicked, finally out of bullets. Rebellion and Red Queen halted in mid swing, just above the boy's head. He didn't so much as flick an ear.

Lacie blinked. "Me…?"

* * *

><p><strong>Well, well, well. Who could this strange little demon boy be? And why is he calling Lacie "Master"? And why does she look like our favorite Devil Hunter boys? Why am I asking so many questions?<strong>

**That's it for now, seeing as I've got classes tomorrow and can't afford to loose any sleep. Tune in next time, and tell me what you think in the box below. **

**BYE!**


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